When You Come Back To Me Again part 2
by janna11
Summary: Nine years ago, Veronica Mars left Neptune California for good. Now she returns to her old stomping grounds for her high school reunion, with a surprise. Pizronica is an item but not for long. Now the first version of this story I deleted because I decided to change some things that I wrote.


_A/n Alright I decided to change the story some. So this is chapter 1 again which I have added what I was working on for chapter 2 and changed some of one. I hope you enjoy it. This chapter takes place a week before the movie. _

Veronica opened her eyes as the morning sun light shown through her bedroom window. She felt the weight of an arm wrapped around her. Warmth from the embrace engulfing her. The breathe on the back of her neck sent tingles down her spine, the way it always had. He was the only one that ever caused it and she loves him for it. Veronica rolls over slowly so she doesn't wake her companion. She turns to see the face that she has loved seeing since she was 12. A smile is perched on her lips as she studied his face until a blaring noise rang out from the peaceful silence. As the noise rang out it started to pull her away from Logan.

Veronica opened her eyes and turned off her alarm clock. She felt the disappointment rise in her as she turned to face Piz sleeping next to her. Every time she saw Logan in her dreams she always felt guilty because it was a constant reminder of what she couldn't have. She longed for the warmth and tingles that only came because of him. Part of her hated it that Logan still affected her the way he always did; even after nine years. I guess Logan is right, we are epic. She thought. Veronica shook the thought from her mind and got out of bed.

The pounding feeling in her head reminded her that she wasn't as young as she use to be. Veronica had stayed out way too late for having to get up so early. It was the result of having a successful dj as her boyfriend. Piz and his coworkers had gone to the Muse concert, and he was the lucky one to interview them after. Veronica went with him to show support even though she didn't feel like it.

She went to her bathroom, changed out of her pajamas and got into the shower. She rests her head against the wall, allowing the hot water to cascade down. Her day was going to be very busy. She was having breakfast with a friend, then had a few errands to run. Veronica was hoping to get it all done before her interview at 2 pm with Miner, Klein, and Associates; the most prestigious law office in New York. She had spent the last two weeks going through a trial run with the law firm. Today's interview she would find out if she would join the ranks there. To say that Veronica was nervous was an understatement. However it wasn't her to show it. So when she arrived at the fifteen story office building, confidence resonated from her.

Veronica's plans for the day had gone off without a hitch. She had shown up 10 minutes early. She was grateful to have Piz's car so she wouldn't have to take in anything besides herself. Veronica went. inside the building that was home to Miner, Klein, and Associates law office, located on the 15th floor. She got off the elevator on the 15th floor and was greeted by the receptionist.

"Welcome to Miner and Klein, can I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"Yes, my name is Veronica Mars and I'm here for an interview." Veronica replied.

"Of course, if you will have a seat, I will tell them that you are here." The receptionist said before leaving the room. Not long after she left, the receptionist returned accompanied by a middle aged woman, Stephanie Miner.

"Hello, Ms Mars. It's good to see you again. How are you today? Stepanie asked.

"I'm good, thank you." Veronica replied.

As they talked, the two made their way to the conference room.

"This is Daniel Klein." she said as a middle aged man stood and shook Veronica's hand.

"Please have a seat Ms Mars." Stephanie said as she sat down. Veronica followed suit.

"We have discovered some things from your past that we find intriguing. Before we can consider hiring you, we would like to discuss them with you." Stephanie said. Veronica wasn't nervous about what they wanted to know. She suspected that it would come up and was ready at what ever was coming. She smiled slighty and nodded for Stephanie to continue.

"You have a colorful past Ms Mars. A private investigator's license, not to mention the cases that your name came up in and charges that were dropped against you. Do you think that this law firm would benefit from having a person with such a colorful past working here?" The older woman asked.

"Mrs. Miner, Mr. Klein I started as a P.I. because I wanted my best friend's murderer brought to justice. Justice is what I believe in. I helped people receive justice. I helped people who were framed clear their name and criminals to pay for their crimes. Sure, it was reckless behavior. I put myself and those I love in danger with those actions. I left California because I couldn't do it anymore. But I'm proud that I helped find justice to those who needed it. That is the main reason why I went to law school. I want to continue finding justice for people who want and need it." Veronica replied.

"Ms Mars I agree that lawyers should help their clients find justice. I don't agree with your actions and the risks that you brought to you and others. Daniel and I will need to discuss your response before we can give you an answer. One of us will call you some time today with our answer. Thank you for coming in today." Stephanie said.

She stood and Veronica and Daniel followed. They shook hands then Veronica thanked them and left. When she got back to the reception area, she was surprised that the interview had been 20 minutes long. She made her way to the 1st floor lobby. As she left the building she was looking at her feet and feeling awful. Veronica opened the door out to the street and ran into someone coming in. The file full of papers that the other person was carrying fell to the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Veronica said as she got down to help pick up the papers. The other person had been looking down as well until he heard Veronica speak. Now he was staring at the blonde in awe.

"Veronica?" He asked. Veronica looked up at the owner of the voice and saw Logan Echolls in front of her.

"Logan, what are you doing here?" She asked. Veronica was glad to see him but she wasn't about to give Logan the satisfaction.

"I'm here on business. I have a meeting at 2:30 here. What about you?" He replied.

"Job interview. I live here now." She said.

"What is the P.I. biz not doing well?" Logan asked.

"Actually, I'm a lawyer." Veronica said.

"Oh, you got the job?" He asked. Logan was happy that Veronica wasn't working as a P.I. anymore.

"I should find out some time today. But I need to get going. It was good seeing you." She replied.

"Can't I at least get a goodbye hug?" Logan asked. He pulled her in for a hug. Veronica inhaled as her body came in contact with Logan's. She felt her body react as it always had because of him. Veronica was having difficulty hugging him and not doing more. What she didn't know was that Logan was having the same problem. Deciding that she needed to leave, Veronica pulled away.

She smirked at him. Veronica felt like he had defended her again, and she didn't know why. She turned, walked to her car and got in. Before driving off she took one last look, but he was already inside.

Veronica drove to home to her condo and pulled into the parking garage. She pulled into one of the spots reserved for them. But she didn't get out, Veronica stayed in the seat. She was lost in thought. Not about the job or Piz, but about Logan. It was excruciating for her to walk away from him today. Veronica wanted to stay in those arms and never leave, but she couldn't. She was with Piz and she figured Logan wasn't exactly pining for her. She sighed dejectedly. Veronica got out of the car, went to the elevator and went home. She unlocked the door and entered her apartment.

"Stosh, I'm home." She called out. Piz came into the living room and kissed her.

"Hey babe, how did it go?" He asked, excitedly. Veronica felt that the outcome was bleak. There is no way that they will hire me, she thought. She decided not to tell Piz her fears about the job or about Logan.

"It was good. They are going to call some time today." She said with fake enthusiasm.

"Oh, good! I really think you'll get it!" Piz exclaimed. They were discussing the job some more when Emily came home.

"I'm home. Here's the mail " She said and she handed the mail to Veronica. Veronica's jaw dropped as she saw what was the first letter.

"Oh, shit!" She, yelled, surprising Piz and Emily in the process.

"What is it?" Piz asked and she handed him the letter.

"Neptune High Class of 2006. Cool." He said handing it back.

"No, not cool. That place is hell and I'm not going!" She said as she walked over to the trash can and threw it away. Veronica didn't say much for the rest of the day. At 5:00 the phone rang. Veronica and Piz looked at each other they knew who it was. Veronica left the room to answer the phone. When she came back into the room her face was expressionless. "Well?" Piz asked. "They think that their firm would be better off without a person with a past like mine. I didn't get it." Veronica said as she sat down next to Piz."I know that your upset about the job interview but I'm not going to allow you to sit here and wallow. Go get dress and be ready by 7:00 pm. I'll be making the necessary phone calls. And don't try to argue." He said. Veronica left the room and went to get ready.

When 7:00 came they left and went to their favorite club. They met their friends and was having a great time. Piz left with the rest of the guys to play pool. While Veronica stayed with her girlfriends and talked. Piz had been gone for over an hour when one of the waitresses came up to Veronica.

"Miss, this is courtesy of the gentleman at the bar." She said as she sat down a drink. Before Veronica could decline it the waitress had left. She looked over at the bar and saw Logan smiling at her. She smiled back at him as a way of saying thank you. Veronica saw Logan stand up and walk towards her. At that moment, Piz came back to the table, sat down next to Veronica and kissed her. She saw the hurt in Logan's eyes and he turned and walked away.

Veronica felt crushed by the look on Logan's face. She was mad at Piz for coming back when he had. She was also mad at herself. Veronica felt like she had rubbed her relationship in Logan's face. She couldn't bear the fact that she had hurt him again.

"Piz, I'm ready to go if that's okay, I don't feel good." She said. Piz didn't want to leave but he was concerned about Veronica.

"Okay, let's go home." He said.

It was a quiet ride home. Piz wanted to ask if Veronica was alright but he couldn't. They got home and greeted their neighbor, Andrea, who was watching TV.

"Where's Em?" Veronica asked.

"She went to bed not that long ago." Andrea said.

Veronica went down the hall and stopped outside Emily's bedroom. While she stood there Veronica started thinking about Logan. She was deep in thought and didn't notice that she was being watched.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Emily asks.

"Yes, Em. I'm just thinking." Says Veronica.

"About daddy again?" The young girl asked.

"Yes, go back to sleep." Veronica said as she goes to turn around.

"What is he like? You never talk about him." Emily asked. Her brown eyes stared at her mother like she pleading with her. Veronica sighed and walked into the room. Sat down next to her eight year old daughter and smiled.

"What would you like to know?" Veronica asked.

"Everything. How did you meet him?" The girl replied.

"I met him when I was twelve. He had just moved to Neptune. I had just finished my soccer game at the school I was going to. He was waiting for his mother to finish registering him to attend. I was sitting, putting away my gear and he came up to me. I was upset because my mom was 45 minutes late. We started talking and he kept trying to get me to laugh. We became good friends. Us and Lilly and Duncan Kane." Veronica said as she started to get a dreamy look in her eyes.

"What's he like?" the girl asked.

"Well he is a sweet, charming man. He was always very protective of me. He is loyal to people who he trusts. And he had this way when he looked at me, made me feel loved more than anyone has. You have is brown eyes." She responded.

"I do?" Emily asked, excitedly.

"Yes, you do." Replied Veronica.

"Do you miss daddy?" Her daughter asked.

"Yes, every time I look at you. You two are so alike." Veronica said as she hugged Emily.

"Does he know about me?" Emily asked. The look on Emily's face broke Veronica's heart. She knew that Emily had the right to know Logan.

"You're going to hate me. No, he doesn't. There has been so many times I wanted to tell him." Veronica said, sadly.

"Mom, are you going to your reunion." The girl asked. Veronica thought for a while, she still hasn't decided.

"I don't know yet, baby girl." She responded.

"If you go, can I come? I really want to know him." Asked the girl.

"If I go, then you will to. I promise." Veronica replied.

"What's his name?" Emily asked.

"Logan. Now you need to go back to sleep." Veronica said as she got up from where she was sitting on the bed. She leaned forward and kissed Emily on her forehead. She started towards the door when Emily spoke again.

"Did you love him?" she said.

"Yes, and I always will." Veronica.

Piz walked through the apartment, shutting off the lights as he went. Outside Emily's room he stopped when he heard Veronica. He felt uneasy eavesdropping however he was curious. He regretted it when he heard something that made his stomach turn.

"Did you love him?" Emily asked.

"Yes, and I always will." Veronica said.

Piz felt his heart breaking as he walked into the master bedroom. Emily's room was next to theirs so he was able to get in before Veronica could see him. Piz knew that she loved Logan when he had dated her in college. However, after 9 years he never thought she still did. He wanted to confront her but he couldn't bring himself to do it. All Piz knew is that he couldn't stay there and pretend that he hadn't heard her. At that moment he knew that he made the right decision when he chose to keep his apartment. He went to closet and took out his bag and some clothes and laid them on the bed. He was packing when Veronica entered the room.

"Piz, what are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm going to stay the night at my place." He said as he finished his task.

"Oh. Is there something wrong?"Veronica asked.

"No." He lied. He pick up his bag, walked out of the room and the apartment.

Meanwhile, Emily was still awake. She knew that she needs help getting her mother to decide to go to the reunion. Emily climbed out of bed and walks over to her desk. She sits down and turns on her laptop. When it boots up she opens up Skype.

"Oh good she's on." Emily said, quietly and selects Mac.

"Aunt Mac!" She squealed.

"Emily, aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Mac asked.

"Well yes, but I need a favor." Emily replied.

"You sound like your mom saying that. Speaking of which, how is she?" Mac responded.

"She's good. I don't really like Piz. Mom should be with someone else." She said.

"Let me guess, you think she should be with your dad?" Mac asked.

"Yep, she was telling me about daddy and mom said that she still loves him. That's why I'm talking to you. She got the invitation to her reunion. Mom said if she goes that I can go with her. She hasn't said if she is though and I was hoping if you can get her to go?" The girl replied.

"She actually said that she loves your dad, those words?" Mac asked.

"Well I asked her if she had and she said that she did and that she always will." Emily said.

"I can't promise that it will work. I'm in town for work, if you get to bed I'll help." Mac said.

"Thank you so much! I will! Good night Aunt Mac." Emily exclaimed.

"Good night kiddo." Mac said.

Emily turned off her computer and got back into bed.

Mac went back to what she was doing before Emily had interrupted. She was in her office working on the details to open another location for her software company. When she was finished she shut down her computer and looked at the clock it was a 9:45 pm. Mac knew Veronica would be awake so she pulled out her phone. She was about dial the number when her business partner stormed in. She could tell that Logan was mad.

"When you suggested that I should be the one to meet with the lawyers; did you know that Ronnie would be there?" He asked.

"Honestly, she might of mentioned something like that to me." Mac said.

"You also failed to mention that she was seeing Piz." Logan replied as he sat down in the chair facing her.

"I didn't think it would be necessary to mention. It's not like she's marrying the guy. It's been 9 years Logan. You can't still be in love with her." Mac said. She knew the truth but it had to be confirmed.

"Of course. I will always love her but that is not the point." He responded.

"Look Logan, I don't want to be in the middle of this. You two need to talk, soon. Just keep me out of it." She said. Mac had every intention to not stay out of it. She just figured that they didn't need to know. Logan sighed and rested his head in his hands.

"You're right, Mac. I'm sorry. I'm going to head back California. Unless you need me to anything else?" He asked and Mac shook her head. Logan's eyes fell to a framed photo on Mac's desk. It was a picture of a young girl, something about her was oddly familiar to him. He reached for the picture and examined it. He figured that she was around seven or eight, though lacking experience around kids, he wasn't sure.

"I've never seen this picture before, who is she?" He asked.

"That's Emily, she is my goddaughter." She replied hoping that he would realize that he was looking at his daughter. When Logan didn't say anything and put the picture back she nearly screamed. I can't believe these two. This has got to stop, she thought.

"See you when you get back." Logan said, he got up and sadly walked towards the door.

"Logan?" Mac called out and Logan turned around to face her.

"Everything will work out for the best, you'll see." She said. Logan nodded and left the room. Mac picked up her phone and dialed Veronica's number. After two rings it connected.

"Hey, Q." Veronica said.

"Hey, I didn't wake you; did I?" Mac replied.

"No, I was just thinking." Says Veronica.

"Ok, well the reason I called was that I'm in town. Do you want have lunch tomorrow?" Mac asked.

"Yeah around 12:00 pm. The usual place?" Veronica replied. Mac agreed then they said goodbye and ended the call.

Veronica was lying in bed thinking about everything that happened that day when Mac had called. Mostly she thought of Logan. How good it felt to hug him. How great he looked. How great he smelled.

Thinking of him reminded her of the last time she had seen him, before her encounter earlier. It was after Veronica left Neptune. She went to Stanford and worked as a receptionist until she could attend. Mac had, accidentally, told Logan where she went. Logan thought that he had seen her getting in a taxi. He called out her name to get her to stop. When she didn't turn around he figured that it was someone else. What he didn't know was that it was her. Veronica had gone to get some groceries. Emily was a month old and was at home with her dad. Keith visited them as often as he could. She had heard Logan but acted like he wasn't there.

Her encounter with him earlier had been difficult for her. Veronica hadn't wanted to let him go and that made her feel even more guilty. She laid in her bed and she knew one thing for certain. Logan was on her mind and in her heart and that was where he would always be. Thinking about him that night helped her decide what to do. She needed to tell him everything. Veronica just hoped that she had the courage to do it.

Logan arrived at the airstrip where his private jet was waiting and went aboard. It was just him and the pilot onboard. He greeted the pilot and requested that the plane returned to New York for Mac. He knew that she was planning on coming back the next day. He wanted her to have the option of using it. Logan opened a cabinet and retrieved a bottle of Crown Royal and a glass. He sat down in his seat and got ready for the plane to leave. Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and what looked like a poker chip. He twirled the chip in his hand. Eight years he thought. Eight years sober and I'm about to throw it away. Why does she affect me so? He thought. He knew the answer to that question. He also knew why he couldn't throw eight years of sobriety away.

_Flashback_

_For two months after Veronica left, Logan had been spiraling. He was almost intent on his own self destruction. He was arrested for the second time for a DUI, along with drunk and disordery conduct and an assault charge. Cliff had been worried about is client so he called Keith._

_Keith walked over to the holding cell. Logan was laying on the cot looking at the ceiling._

_"Hello, Logan." Keith said. Logan sat up and turned his attention to Keith._

_"Hey, Sheriff." He said still slurring._

_"I think you're old enough to call me Keith." The former sheriff said._

_"Why are you here?" Logan asked._

_"Cliff called me and said that you were here." Keith replied._

_"Isn't that against lawyer/ client privilege?" Logan asked._

_"He was worried about you. He wanted me to talk to you." Keith said. Logan sat on the cot, he didn't say anything._

_"Logan, I know how hard this is for you with Veronica leaving. You love her and this is your way of coping. What you don't know is that she loves you too. She would kill me if she knew that i told you this but its true." Keith said. When Logan heard what Keith had said, his head bolted up. His mind started racing with thoughts of Veronica. Keith broke the silence and Logan's thought process._

_"I know that is hard to believe but it's true. I don't know what happened between the two of you. She will come back I know that, it may be in a few months or years. But when she does it will be for you. You owe it to yourself and to her to be the best version of yourself. When she does, prove to her that you are a better person and that you love her. Fight like hell for her. I haven't always agreed with her choice to be with you. But you have changed that and gained my respect. You have changed and have proved to me that I can trust you with my daughter."_

_End of flashback_

Logan was surprised by Keith's words but he took them to heart. He entered a sobriety program and became fixated on what he wanted to do with his life.

When he and Mac started their company, he had wanted to be a silent partner. She suggested that he be more involved with important matters of the business, legal and financial mostly. He inevitablely found his calling as a pilot in the Navy. He loved it because it made him feel like he was doing something important.

Now, after everything that he had accomplished, he was going to cave. Then his thoughts went back to what Keith had said many years ago. _She will come back I know that, it may be in a few months or years. But when she does it will be for you._

He opened is wallet and pulled out a picture of her. We are epic, Veronica. One day you will see that. Maybe now is the time that I prove to her that I have changed, he thought. Logan got out of his seat to put the bottle and glass in the cupboard. He was surprised that while he was deep in thought the plane had taken off. He sat back down in his seat and got settled for the rest of his flight.

Veronica awoke the next morning at nine. She changed into her workout clothes and then went into the kitchen. Since walking away from the P.I. life, she found solace in running. Running was the only thing that gave her perspective. With everything that was going on with her and Piz leaving; the prospect of dealing with Logan and her high school reunion, that's what she needed. She wrote a quick note to Emily, hung it on the fridge and left for her run. Part of the allure that her condo held was due to its proximity to Central Park. It was right across the street. Her route in there had a purpose; to help her gain that perspective as it had on previous occasions. The other occasions were caused by Logan as well. Though most of them were steamy meetings that occurred in her subconscious.

When her run was over an hour later, Veronica still hadn't figured things out. Regardless she was starting to feel better. Emily was sitting on the floor watching cartoons and eating a bowl of ice cream when Veronica came in.

"You know if child services finds out about this, they will take you away. Ice cream isn't really a breakfast type of food. It's lacking anything in the way of food pyramid food." Veronica said.

"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take." Emily said scooping another bite of ice cream in her mouth.

"You better eat something that is in a food group when we have lunch with Mac. And this whole conversation makes me feel like I'm channeling you're grandpa. I'm go get cleaned up and change. When your done, will you please do the same, we're meeting Mac at noon." Veronica replied as she stood and left the room.

The two arrived at Sarabeth's with five minutes to spare. Mac was waiting for them. It wasn't long until they were seated, enjoying their meal and engaged in small talk. After a few glances from Emily, Mac decided that it was time to bring up the reunion.

"So, there is a little event coming up that we should talk about." Mac announced.

"Oh, do we have to? Seriously I would rather have a root canal, without using anesthetic. I mean what is with you and Wallace." Veronica replied.

"Why don't you want to go?" Mac asked.

"Do I really have to answer that. The whole prospect of seeing the daughter of Satan and her minions is one reason." Veronica explained.

"Madison Sinclair isn't a good enough reason for you to miss the reunion. There happens to be a certain business partner of mine that is kind of hoping that you will go." Mac replied.

"Sure she is! And besides after last night I seriously doubt that." Veronica said as she looked over to her daughter. Emily was playing with her cellphone in between bites of her lunch.

"Look, all I'm asking is for you to keep an open mind. It won't be as bad as you think," Mac said.

"We'll see.." Veronica exclaimed with doubt.

"Does that mean that your going." Mac replied.

"No, but I did already promise that i would think about it as i intend to do." The blonde responded as she looked at her daughter again. Emily's chocolate brown eyes met her mother's and she smiled. She knew that in only a matter of time her mother would cave.

"And you're other reason still wants you to come." Mac said.

"Who said there was another reason?" Veronica asked.

"You implied. He still loves you after all of these years. I know he hurt you but you both have changed. If its possible that you still love him, then do me a favor. Tell him, you can trust him." Mac replied has their server brought them the check.

Maybe she's right, she thought.


End file.
